"Virtuosity" and the Politics of Freedom: Joseph Joachim's Concerto, op. 11, "In Ungarischer Weise" in dialogue with Hegelian Philosophy

Mitterer, Dominik

Abstract

The reception of Hegel’s concept of ›virtuosity‹ gave rise to a discourse that is distinctive in 19th-Century Germany. Hegel construed the virtuoso as an autonomous and practically judging individual, who orientates freely within the world, which holds equally for the moral and musical agent. Hegel’s formalistic account of music values the liberation from a concrete meaningful content, emphasising the importance of performances as »living artworks«. However, after the 1848/9 revolutions, Hegel’s idea of the virtuoso performer was interpreted by Left-Hegelians as the individual’s subordination to a larger political or aesthetic whole. This led to a pseudo-Hegelian view on work performance, which negates the performers individuality in virtue of expressing the composer’s supposed intentions. Accordingly, ›virtuosity‹ as individual autonomy was uncompromisingly juxtaposed with the aesthetic conditions of the work concept as autonomous whole.

›Virtuosity‹ points therefore to a battleground on which underlying ideas of freedom and individuality are negotiated. I argue that positive accounts of acceptable virtuosity construed Joseph Joachim as a performing artist who substituted his own personality for the supposed intentions of classical composers, detected through intellectual engagement. This pseudo-Hegelian standpoint follows the same pattern as communitarian arguments, viewing the individual’s identity as being determined by its larger political surroundings.

Firstly, I will sketch Hegel’s concept of ›virtuosity‹ as a mode to navigate freely within the world and how left-Hegelians reconceptualised Hegel’s account according to their political agenda. Secondly, I consider how this view influenced the discourse around Joachim as an uncompromising Werktreue performer. Finally, I will offer a reading of Joachim’s Violin Concerto, op. 11 “In Ungarischer Weise” as an instant of the individual’s liberty and its subordination to the larger political whole.

Citation

Mitterer, D. (2022, September). "Virtuosity" and the Politics of Freedom: Joseph Joachim's Concerto, op. 11, "In Ungarischer Weise" in dialogue with Hegelian Philosophy. Paper presented at Royal Musical Association 58th Annual Conference Durham University

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: Royal Musical Association 58th Annual Conference Durham University
• Start Date: Sep 8, 2022
• End Date: Sep 10, 2022
• Deposit Date: Dec 4, 2023
• Keywords: Virtuosity, Hegel, Joseph Joachim, Violin Concerto, Romanticism
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1981307